Stop the Stupidity! Make Daylight Savings Time Permanent

One year ago on March 15th, the US Senate passed the Sunshine Protection Act which ends the twice-annual changing of the clocks.

So why are we having to turn our clocks one hour forward tonight?

The reason is simple, the House never passed the legislation, and it never made it to President Biden's desk for signing.

I don't understand. Who would be against enabling children to play outdoors later or reducing seasonal depression?

I know of at least one group that opposes the change, The National Association of Convenience stores. There are others that want things to remain as they are. Despite no good reason to keep playing with the clock in the 21st century.

The Sunshine Protection Act which was sponsored by senator Marco Rubio last year was reintroduced by Rubio on March 2nd. The senate passed the bill by unanimous consent, but it stalled in the House last year.

This is a great chance for the House to pass a bipartisan bill that will truly help Americans out.  As Democratic senator Ed Markey, a co-sponsor of the bill, said in a recent press conference, 

"It's past time for Congress to broaden its horizons and finally make Daylight Saving Time permanent. With the Sunshine Protection Act, we can shine a light on the darkest days of the year and deliver more sun, more smiles, and brighter skies."

Background on Daylight Savings

America first adopted daylight savings time in 1918 to save oil and electricity during World War I. But now, it isn't associated with energy savings.

The benefits of a Permanent Daylight Savings Time (DST)

-In a recent meta-study by Rutgers researchers they found that DST would allow more people to commute during daylight hours and decrease the risk of car accidents.

-Also having fewer hours of darkness would help reduce crime. 

-Other studies have shown that more daylight means less energy usage. An extra hour of daylight over winter will keep houses warmer for longer.

-A study by the American Council projected a decrease in carbon emissions by 10.8 million metric tons.

-Losing sleep. Instead of waking up at 8:00 a.m., we're waking up at an hour that our body says is 7:00 a.m. Briefly put, it messes up our circadian clock which is an internal clock that tells us when to go to sleep and when to wake up. The cognitive consequences or lack of sleep, tend to hit students really hard.

With all these benefits it's hard to understand why we haven't made a permanent DST in the USA a long time ago.

As it stands, I suspect the reason is partisan politics and that some businesses don't want to see a permanent change for financial reasons.